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The story of the fortunes and misfortunes of the crew of the whale ship Pequod under their maniacal Captain Ahab is retold by their crew member, the story of one man's mad hunt for a mighty sperm whale known only as Moby Dick. Summary of the Book Told by the lone survivor of the story, Ishmael, this story relates the adventures of the Pequod, a whaling ship run by a madman called Ahab. Ahab, a man who has a reputation of being the most grand, ungodly and godlike man among men, is fuelled by his insane hunt for what he considers his nemesis: the old, gigantic sperm whale he calls Moby Dick. The White Whale infests Ahab's dreams, haunting him throughout his waking moments. His crew is caught between their own doubts in their insane leader and their fear for their own lives as he leads them again and again to their seemingly inevitable deaths in an attempt to kill Moby Dick. Considered to portray different things to different crew members, the white whale becomes their only goal, and perhaps their total salvation and doom. About Herman Melville Herman Melville was an American writer. He has also written: Bartleby, the Scrivener, Benito Cereno and Billy Budd, Sailor. A seaman and a teacher, his years at sea went on to form a large portion of who he became and the stories he told. This story has been adapted several times into hit movies and TV series.